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Home » Recipes » Side Dish Recipes

Sautéed Green Beans With Garlic & Lemon

Published: Jan 30, 2021 · Modified: May 25, 2021 by Colleen Leave a Comment

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Green beans being sautéed in a cast iron skillet.
Green beans being sautéed in a cast iron skillet.

Sautéed Green Beans with garlic and lemon are a simple, but all-round delicious side dish. These are equally perfect as a side with family dinners, or with fancy feasts.

Why You Need This Recipe

  • These green beans go with everything! These beans are a perfect accompaniment for chicken, (try Marry Me Chicken, or Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken Thighs) pork, (how about Grilled Pork Tenderloin or Pork Chops with Apples & Onions) fish, especially Spiced Baked Salmon Pomegranate Raita or beef.
  • Sauteed green beans are quick and easy to make. Just five minutes of prep and five minutes of cook time, and they are ready to serve.
  • Only five ingredients: besides olive oil, garlic and lemon, plus salt and an optional pinch of red pepper flakes are all that's needed to elevate the freshness of these green beans.
  • Green beans are nutritious. They're high in fibre, low in calories, and rich sources of vitamins A, C & K, along with a host of other vitamins and minerals.
  • Everybody likes them. Green beans, especially when they are quickly sauteed in garlic and lemon, are liked by almost everyone, even kids!
  • Cooking green beans this way means they are low carb, gluten and dairy-free. 
  • Sautéed green beans on a black plate with a silver fork.

     

    Here's What You Need To Make It

    Green Beans

    Choose bright green beans that you can easily snap when you bend them. Try to choose beans of similar sizes for uniform cooking time.

    Olive Oil

    Extra virgin olive oil has a low smoke point, so normally we wouldn't want to use it for pan-frying or stir-frying. However, because the sauté time for these green beans is very short, I think it's worth it for the flavour that it brings. But, go ahead and use any oil that you have on hand.

    Garlic

    You can use fresh garlic, or you can use pre-minced jarred garlic, which is super convenient. If you don't have either, you can use ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, sprinkled on in place of the minced garlic.

    Lemon

    Nothing beats fresh lemon juice, so use it if you can. In a recipe as simple as this one, every flavour stands out, so this is not the best place for bottled lemon juice.

    Red Pepper Flakes

    The red pepper flakes are entirely optional. The amount in the recipe doesn't really add any heat, but it brightens up the flavour. Omit it if you prefer, or amp it up if spice is your thing.

    The ingredients to make this recipe on a wooden cutting board.

    How To Make It: Step By Step

    It couldn't be any simpler to make this delicious side dish:

    1. Trim beans
    2. Bring water to a boil in a saute pan or skillet.
    3. Blanch beans in the boiling water for three minutes.
    4. Drain beans, and heat the oil in the same pan. Add green beans, and saute in the hot oil for about one minute
    Steps one through four to make the recipe.

    5. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt to the pan.

    Garlic and seasonings being added to green beans in a cast iron pan.

    6. Sautee for one more minute. Remove from heat and squeeze with lemon juice, tossing to combine.

    A pan of green beans with a lemon.
    1. Serve!
    Close up of cooked string beans in a skillet.

    Recipe Tips

    • Trim the knobby stem ends of the beans before cooking. To trim, line up a pile of beans facing in the same direction, then using a chef's knife, slice the ends from all the beans at once. No need to cut the tapered ends.
    • The key to perfect tender-crisp string beans is timing. Be very careful not to overcook or the beans will turn mushy and grey.
    • You can use frozen green beans. Just skip the blanching (steps 2,3,&4) and saute them straight from frozen.
    • Add other vegetables to the pan and saute them first before adding the beans. Our favourites are mushrooms and red bell pepper strips.

    More Side Dish Ideas

    Dinner isn't dinner without great sides! More delicious sides to check out:

    • Sautéed Beet Greens Recipe
    • Cabbage Stir-Fry
    • Cauliflower Fried Rice
    • Parsnip Puree
    • Mashed Roasted Butternut Squash

    Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic & Lemon

    Sauteed Green Beans or string beans are quickly sauteed with garlic and lemon. They are a delicious, and super quick and easy to make side dish. Perfect alongside anything you're serving!
    5 from 1 vote
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    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Canadian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 73kcal
    Author: Colleen Milne

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound green beans
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
    • 2 garlic cloves minced
    • ½ lemon juice of
    • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • ¼ teaspoon coarse salt

    Instructions

    • Trim green beans by lining them up in the same direction and slicing off the ends.
    • Over medium-high heat bring ¼ cup of water to a boil in a large saute pan or skillet.
    • Add green beans to the skillet and allow to boil 3 minutes, turning
    • Drain beans and heat the oil in the same pan.
    • Sautee the beans in the oil for about one minute, stirring.
    • Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and salt.
    • Cook, stirring, about 1 more minute
    • Remove pan from the heat immediately
    • Squeeze lemon over the beans and toss to combine
    • Serve right away.

    Notes

    You can blanch the beans ahead of time and store them in the fridge until you're ready to sautee them. Just follow steps 2 & three, and after draining, plunge the string beans into ice water to stop them from cooking further. Keep them in the fridge until you're ready to give them a quick saute. 
     
    Trim the knobby stem ends of the beans before cooking. To trim, line up a pile of beans facing in the same direction, then using a chef's knife, slice the ends from all the beans at once. No need to cut the tapered ends.
     
    The key to perfect tender-crisp string beans is timing. Be very careful not to overcook or the beans will turn mushy and grey.
     
    You can use frozen green beans. Just skip the blanching (steps 2,3,&4) and saute them straight from frozen.
     
    Add other vegetables to the pan and saute them first before adding the beans. Our favourites are mushrooms and red bell pepper strips.
     
     
     
     
    Add a pat of butter to the oil if you want to make the dish a bit richer. Otherwise this recipe is dairy and gluten-free.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 258mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 820IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @TheFoodBlog or tag #thefoodblog!

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